Separable crotch undergarment



Dec. 21, 1965 G. L. DIEBOLD SEPARABLE CROTCH UNDERGARMENT m m mGeofgefi. Diebald,

Filed April 29, 1963 United States Patent 3,224,448 SEPARABLE CROTCHUNDERGARMENT George L. Diebold, Skokie, Ill., assignorto VenusFoundation Garments, Inc, Chicago, ill., a corporation of Delaware FiledApr. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 276,260 Claims. (Cl. 128--529) This inventionrelates to womens undergarments and more particularly to a panty girdle,corset or the like having a separable crotch portion.

Designers and manufacturers of womens undergarments have long recognizedthe desirability of providing a garment which does not have to beremoved, either partially or entirely, when it is necessary to attend tonatural functions. Such a garment is also desirable from the standpointthat its life is prolonged because it need not be laundered asfrequently.

Various types of crotch constructions have been devised to achieve theseobjectives, some of which are the socalled open crotch, removablecrotch, and overlapping or separable crotch garments. Many garments havebeen advanced which utilized the aforementioned types of crotchconstructions, but in some respects each has proved somewhatunsatisfactory, either because the garment did not fit Well, or requirecomplicated and time consuming procedures to effect operation of thecrotch structure, or was uncomfortable due to bunching 0r gapping of thematerial at the crotch.

Because of the fact that the overlapping or separable crotchconstruction provides certain advantages over the other types, there hasbeen a renewed interest in garments of this type. However, many of thegarments thus far developed and employing a separable crotchconstruction have not proved entirely satisfactory. Some of the reasonsfor this are that, because of the type of material employed in thecrotch portions, insufiicient elasticity is present to permit thedesired size opening when the crotch portions are separated, andpinching may occur if the girdle rides up. In garments employing asufficient amount of material to provide the desired size opening,bunching of the material or gapping may occur. In addition, many of thegarments employing this type of crotch construction do not fit Well.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to providean undergarment for women, such as a panty girdle, corset or the like,having an improved separable crotch construction.

Another object is to provide an improved undergarment employing a crotchconstruction of the foregoing character in which portions of the crotchmay be rapidly and easily separated while the garment is being worn, andwhen separated, provide an ample opening.

A further object is to provide an improved undergarment for women havinga novel separable crotch construction which assures a smooth andcomfortable fit of the garment.

A particular object is to provide an undergarment employing a novelseparable crotch construction which eliminates any tendency of thecrotch portions to bunch, bag, bind, or gap.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponmaking reference to the detailed description which follows andaccompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a panty girdle having a separablecrotch construction embodying the features of the present invention, thegirdle being illustrated in position upon the body;

FIG. 2 is a bottom-plan view of the girdle and separable crotchconstruction illustrated in FIG. 1;

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FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom-plan view of the crotch portion and a portion of thelegs of the girdle illustrated in FIG. 1 as the portions would appearwhen lying in the same plane; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the crotch portionsseparated.

In FIGURES 1 and 2, a womans undergarment is illustrated comprising, inthis instance, a panty girdle 10 employing a separable crotchconstruction 20 embodying the features of the present invention. Thegirdle 10 in this case has a one-piece body portion 11 extendingentirely around the body of the wearer with a front seam 11 and a pairof depending leg portions 12 and 13 which extend around the front, rear,and outside portions of the Wearers legs. The inside portions of thewearers legs are covered by a pair of inner panel portions 14 and 15which are secured to the leg portions 12 and 13, respectively, alongseam lines 16 and 17 at the front and rear of the garment, respectively.

The girdle 10 may be made of any suitable material, but in the presentinstance is a semi-elastic material known in the trade as power net orelastic mesh. Such a material is elastic in one direction but onlyslightly stretchable or expandable in a transverse direction byenlargement or deformation of the stitching of the weave. In the case ofthe panty girdle 10, the material is arranged in the body portion 11 andleg portions 12 and 13 so as to be elastic in a horizontal or transversedirection as viewed in FIG. 1. The girdle 10 may also be provided withremovable garters 18 for supporting hose.

The separable crotch portion 20 comprises a pair of elongated, generallyrectangular sections of material 22 and 23 which are arranged with theirlongitudinal dimensions extending in a fore and aft direction withrespect to the body of the wearer. The outer longitudinally extendingmarginal edges 24 and 25 of the crotch sections 22 and 23 are secured tothe upper edges of the inner panel portions 14 and 15, and the fronttransverse edges 26 and 27 and rear transverse edges 28 and 29 of thecrotch sections 22 and 23 are secured to the leg portions 12 and 13. Thesections 22 and 23 are sufficiently wide so that when the front and rearedges 26, 27 and 28, 29 are secured to the leg portions 12 and 13, theinner longitudinal edges, indicated at 32 and 33, of the respectivesections 22 and 23 overlap each other (FIG. 4). The amount of overlap ofthe sections 22 and 23 is such as will normally maintain the crotchclosed throughout the normal range of bodily movements of the wearer.

With the foregoing construction, it will be apparent that the degree towhich the crotch 20 may be opened depends upon the elasticity of thematerial of the sections 22 and 23, and particularly the overlappingmarginal edges 32 and 33. In order to provide comfort for the wearer,the separable crotch sections 22 and 23 preferably are of a softmaterial such as nylon tricot, jersey, or the like. While such materialsare soft, they do not possess the same degree of elasticity andelongation as is found in the elastic materials usually employed in theother parts of a girdle. Moreover, when fabrics of this type areutilized to provide the crotch sections 22 and 23, they are normallyarranged so as to be stretchable or deformable to the greatest extent inthe direction of transverse opening movement of the crotch sections awayfrom each other or in a direction generally perpendicular to that towhich the inner marginal edges 32 and 33 are tensioned when the crotchis opened. However, the resulting limited fore and aft extensibility ofthe crotch sections detracts from the comfort of the garment and theextent to which the crotch sections may be opened.

The crotch construction 20 of the present invention overcomes theforegoing disadvantages and at the same time results in a garment havinga more comfortable fit by providing an elastic material insert in eachoverlapping marginal edge 32 and 33. These inserts are indicatedgenerally at 42 and 43 in the respective sections 22 and 23. As will beapparent from FIG. 4, the inserts 42 and 43 preferably have a generallysemi-circular shape and thus include arcuate edges 44 and 45 andstraight edges 46 and 47, respectively. The edges 32' and 33 arecentrally recessed or cut-out to receive the inserts 42 and 43 which arestitched to the edges 32 and 33. Thus, when the inserts are in place,they become a unitary part of the crotch sections 22 and 23. The insertsare arranged so that the edges 46 and 47 thereof comprise continuationsof the section edges 32 and 33. The transverse width of the inserts 42and 43 is suificient so that a substantial overlap is provided when thecrotch is closed.

In order to provide the desired longitudinal or fore and aft elasticityto the sections 22 and 23, and particularly the marginal edges 32 and 33when the sections are displaced laterally to open the crotch 20, theinserts 42 and 43 preferably are of a material which is elastic in botha longitudinal and transverse direction. Such a material is commonlyknown inthe trade as two-way stretch elastic. However, the inserts mayalso be of a semi-elastic material which is elastic in one direction anddeformable in a transverse direction by elongation or stretching of thestitching. Such a material is known in the trade as power net or meshelastic. If a material of the latter type is employed in the inserts 42and 43, it is arranged with its greatest elasticity in a longitudinal orfore and aft direction with respect to the sections 22 and 23 andparallel to the marginal edges 32 and 33.

While the inserts 42 and 43 have been herein described as having asemi-circular shape, they could also have other shapes, such assemi-oval, triangular, or the like. If such other shapes were employed,they would be arranged in the crotch sections 22 and 23 in the samemanner as the semi-circular inserts, and the marginal edges 32 and 33 ofthe crotch sections 22 and 23 would of course be similarly recessed orcut-out to receive such other shaped insert-s.

The provision of the elastic material inserts 42 and 43 thus greatlyincreases the longitudinal or'fore and aft elasticity of the sections 22and 23. Thus, when the edges 32 and 33 are displaced transversely toeffect an opening of the crotch 20, as illustrated in FIG. 5, theadditional elasticity of the inserts permits a much greater opening ofthe crotch. At the same time, the increased longitudinal elasticityimparted to the crotch sections 22 and 23 by the inserts 42 and 43enhances the comfort of the garment when the crotch is closed.

In addition to the foregoing functional advantage, the provision of theinserts 42 and 43, which are of a somewhat stiifer material than thesections 22 and 23, prevents bunching or gapping of the overlappingedges 32 and 33 and thus provides a more comfortable fit to the garment10. Furthermore, because of the improved combination of characteristicsprovided by the crotch sections 22, 23 and the inserts 42, 43, thedegree of normal overlap of the crotch sections may be greater therebyproviding more positive closure and the general feel of a closed crotchgirdle, but at the same time allowing ample separation when required.

Experiments have shown that by employing a pair of inserts 42 and 43having the approximate proportions indicated in FIG. 4, and by utilizingan elastic fabric having a fore and aft elongation of about to thedesired functional characteristics are achieved while providing a highdegree of comfort for the wearer.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustratedand described, it will be understood that modifications and variationsthereof may be effected without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An undergarment comprising a body encircling portion and a separablecrotch portion, said crotch portion including a pair of elongatedflexible material sections secured at the front and rear edges thereofto said body portion with the inner longitudinal edges of said sectionsoverlapping each other to a substantial degree preventing separation ofsaid sections during normal body movements, said sections overlapping inan area covering the entire central portion of said crotch portion, andan elastic material insert of substantial width in each of said sectionsand forming one portion only of the length of said inner longitudinaledges.

2. An undergarment according to claim 1, further characterized in thatsaid elongated sections are substantially inelastic in a longitudinaldirection, and said inserts are elastic at least in a longitudinaldirection.

3. An undergarmen-t according to claim 1, further characterized in thatsaid inserts are of a two-way stretch fabric stretchable in alongitudinal and transverse direction.

4. An undergarment according to claim 2 wherein the inner longitudinaledges of each section are provided with a semicircular recess locatedsubstantially centrally of the longitudinal length of each section andwherein a semicircular elastic material insert is secured at its arcuateedge in each recess so that the linear edge of each insert forms acontinuation of the inner longitudinal edge of each section.

5. An undergarmen-t as defined in claim 1 wherein said sections comprisecomplementally shaped fabric sections, each section being secured at anouter longitudinal edge to a leg portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,476,585 7/1948Cohen 1'28--529 2,478,263 8/1949 Geltz 128526 2,875,763 3/1959Marchisella 128-529 FOREIGN PATENTS 592,623 5/1957 Canada.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner,

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Exam t

1. AN UNDERGARMENT COMPRISING A BODY ENCIRCLING PORTION AND A SEPARABLECROTCH PORTION, SAID CROTCH PORTION INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELONGATEDFLEXIBLE MATERIAL SECTIONS SECURED AT THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES THEREOFTO SAID BODY PORTION WITH THE INNER LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID SECTIONSOVERLAPPING EACH OTHER TO A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE PREVENTING SEPARATION OFSAID SECTIONS DURING NORMAL BODY MOVEMENTS, SAID SECTIONS OVERLAPPING INAN AREA COVERING THE ENTIRE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID CROTCH PORTION, ANDAN ELASTIC MATERIAL INSERT OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH IN EACH OF SAID SECTIONSAND FORMING ONE PORTION ONLY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID INNER LONGITUDINALEDGES.